Eileen Sylvia Milley

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our mother Eileen Sylvia Milley. She passed quietly at Dr Bob Kemp Hospice in Hamilton, on January 18, 2025.

Eileen was the last remaining sibling from her childhood family, pre-deceased by parents Rosina and David Ward, brothers Herbert, Albert, and Lawrence, and sister Alma, who just passed in 2024.

Eileen was born in Smiths Falls, Ontario on May 10, 1938, and lived in Kingston throughout her childhood. At the ripe young age of 16, she moved to the big city (Toronto) where she worked for Bell Canada as an operator. There she met and married Eric Milley and started a family of her own, with son Allan (1961) and daughter Laurie (Fell - 1963).

Eileen was the heart of our home and had a very active social life, enjoying her time with many friends and her large extended family. She loved bowling and an assortment of hobbies…but mostly she loved to play cards. Through playing cards, she always stayed in touch with her many friends and was able to do so throughout her life, right up to her final days.

She also spent 40 + years mapping the genealogy of our various family lines, in a time well before the internet, which was an arduous undertaking. This was really her life’s work and passion project. Which has given us such a great understanding of family background and many of the incredible stories from our past.

She and our dad were wonderful grandparents to Al’s kids Nolan, Sarah, Amber and Claire, and Laurie’s kids Maegan and Tom, all of whom all have a treasure trove of memories of dressing up for tea parties, eating candy for breakfast, and swimming endlessly in Nana and Grandpa’s pool.

More recently Eileen enjoyed being a great grandmother (GG) to Owen, Emmett, Casper, Avery, and Maxine. She thrived for the last decade in Heritage Village retirement community in Vineland, Ontario, routinely beating her opponents at various card games and generally enjoying life to the fullest.

She will be greatly missed by all, especially Al and his wife Lexi Mahabir…as well as Laurie and her husband Glen Fell.
Eileen did have a favourite charity “Sleeping Children Around the World” and would love donations in her name be made at .

There will be a small service for her at Heritage Village in Vineland, in the coming weeks. A more formal service will be held at Salem United Church in Brighton on May 10 (her birthday), time TBD. Notices for each will be shared shortly.